# "I See Crazy People," or "The Phaedra"
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [August 31, 2001, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115 "2001-08-31T14:21:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2001, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/41 "2001-09-06T13:16:44Z")
John, ya sounded just like a subgenius.
š
---
### Author:  [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2001, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/42 "2001-09-06T17:14:20Z")
[samurai]
I am _honored_ by your responses.
[sub](And _excited_ by Jessā.)[/sub]
[/samurai]
---
### Author:  [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2001, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/43 "2001-09-06T17:36:17Z")
**Tank** , good crew. I wonāt ask to be on it, but Iām happy to reload clips and run Gatorade if the fire gets heavy.
---
### Author:  [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2001, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/44 "2001-09-06T18:00:32Z")
Well said **John**. I justed wanted to underscore this sentiment with a recent example that really bothered me.
I recently invited a friend and fellow scientist to have a look at the board. Hopefully no one finds it too presumptuous for a relative newbie to extend such an invitation, but as I expected, she was impressed with many of the great debates etc. and I know sheād make an excellent participantā¦ but she also found something that bothered her enough that she felt she should question me on it. [note it was a question _not_ a critique] Specifically, not only were some particularly ignorant comments being made [which can be expected], but they were not always soundly discredited. Obviously there are going to be ācrazy peopleā about, and they tend to use a louder voice in an effort to goad and garner attention, but that is not the issue. To everyoneās credit, I couldnāt find an example where _nobody_ spoke out, but there _are_ cases where it appears everyone was so bored with the person or the topic that they donāt give the offending statement a thorough debunking. I donāt want to confuse the issue by dragging those debates in here, but Iād be remiss if I didnāt provide one [example](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=85483).
Sure, some fun is poked at the post, the idea that it is a sock puppet is presented, one person actually **agrees** (at least in part), then the thread is closed. And the thread _should_ have been closed, but not before someone took a few moments to discredit the reasoning behind it. IMO, **John Corrado** already said everything that needed to be said, and much better than I could have. I simply wanted to provide an illustration of how failing to fight ignorance could lead someone to question if we condone it.
---
### Author:  [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2001, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/45 "2001-09-06T21:24:21Z")
**Waverly** , itās just impossible to fully rebut every last restatement of a bad thesis. After awhile, it just becomes a matter of who tires out first. **Sofa King** summarized this sort of thread [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=1576853#post1576853):
> [@](#):
>
> A significant proportion of the debates on this board seem to spawn from people who are dropped into a philosophical box from birth and who, _despite our best and most righteous efforts,_ cannot be pried away from their convictions. That seems to me to be contradictory to the concept of an intellectual decision.
>
> I would argue that people have to be _taught_ to think openly and to question the world around them. Let me propose a hypothetical example which nobody who regularly reads these boards has ever, not even once, seen firsthand.
>
> OP: I come armed with the truth as I understand it. Believe me.
>
> SDMB: Cite?
>
> OP: Here is a list which was sent to me via e-mail.
>
> SDMB: Your list is factually incorrect _here, here,_ and _here_. Circular reasoning is employed _here_. _Here_ is the latest scientific evidence which not only refutes your point of view, but also supports another theory which you are claiming to be false. Here is a lifetimeās worth of sources you can examine which prove you wrong, and finally, here is an appeal to your common sense.
>
> OP: La, la, la, la. I canāt hear you. In summation, Iām right and all of you are wrong.
>
> SDMB: Didnāt you hear us, you blindered fool?
>
> OP: La, la, la, la. The fact that you are arguing with me underscores the validity of my position.
>
> SDMB: You didnāt hear us, did you?
>
> **NO**. The OP did not hear us. They donāt hear us, and many of them never will. They have been taught to think that way and if you knock every last pillar of logic out from under the OP he will continue to float there on faith alone.
---
### Author:  [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2001, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/46 "2001-09-06T21:31:28Z")
Chances are, the poster not bound by logic has greater endurance than the rest of us. Weāre also more likely to have lives and stuff.
Tell your friend there comes a time to just abandon the conversation, because you canāt really win an argument like that, no matter how long you stay with it.
[sub]And thanks, **SK** , for the great summary of a dysfunctional thread. Even if you _didnāt_ come to my cookout, you lousy bum.[/sub]
---
### Author:  [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2001, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/47 "2001-09-06T22:38:27Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Waverly \*
> **I donāt want to confuse the issue by dragging those debates in here, but Iād be remiss if I didnāt provide one [example](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=85483).**
Yeah, that was (allegedly) olā Mark Serlin. Heās sort of the standard bugbear around these parts. If you see someone mention Serlin, theyāre most likely using it to mean ātrollā.
> [@](#):
>
> **I simply wanted to provide an illustration of how failing to fight ignorance could lead someone to question if we condone it.**
Show your friend the Seethruart thread. Jeez, that thing was one acid-filled roller coaster on a one-way, runaway trip to hell. It was like a little kid, kicking and screaming, āI donāt wanna go to school!ā
---
### Author:  [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2001, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/48 "2001-09-06T23:57:50Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ExTank \*
> \*\*And when we want to _really_ get nasty:
>
> _ **Anthracite** _\*\*
:eek:
Lord/Lady have mercy on their souls !
---
### Author:  [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2001, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/49 "2001-09-07T00:12:05Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by RTFirefly \*
> \*\ ***Waverly** , itās just impossible to fully rebut every last restatement of a bad thesis. After awhile, it just becomes a matter of who tires out first.
\*\*
[/QUOTE]
Donāt get me wrong, I agree. You arenāt going to win an endurance match with the **Seethrus** of the world. But then again, that is a good example: he had to blatantly ignore questions and refuse to read posts in order to persist in his mania because people **did** debunk his theories. I am suggesting that crackpot theories be discredited in some way, as opposed to being ignored or dismissed out of hand. Taking your point into consideration, I will add that it need not be taken to the extreme, as you canāt normally outlast the ignorant or the insane.
---
### Author:  [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2001, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/50 "2001-09-07T17:42:18Z")
[QUOTE]
\*Enderw24ās sig \*
evidently I [rock](http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/iraq_rel99.jpg)
[QUOTE]
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Enderās sig is fuckinā FUNNY!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHA!!!
---
### Author:  [@Blackclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackclaw)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2001, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/51 "2001-09-07T18:13:32Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ExTank \*
> \*\*Myself, of course.
>
> **Freedom**
> **Joe\_Cool**
> **SPOOFE**
> **Wierd-Al-Einstien**
> **UncleBeer**
>
> And when we want to _really_ get nasty:
>
> **Anthracite**
>
> Fighting ignorance, one bullet at a time. BYOG.
>
> Accepting applications.
>
> [sub]Gratuities are appreciated.[/sub] \*\*
Can I join up? I served a tour in hostile territory over at the now defunct Chemtrail Connection forum. Jarbabyj can vouch for me.
---
### Author:  [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2001, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/52 "2001-09-09T03:47:56Z")
**Blackclaw:** the general rule-of-thumb for suppressive fire is: āThe More The Merrier!ā. By all means.
Please limit your selection of firearm(s) to lighter calibers; we only have one volunteer as ammo carrier, and we donāt want to break the poor bastardās back with monster shells ( **TurboDog** may show up with [this](http://formenmedia.ign.com/media/news/image/hardcore/shotgun1.mpeg)).
---
### Author:  [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2001, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/53 "2001-09-09T06:26:35Z")
\*\*
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ExTank \*
>
> Accepting applications.
>
> [sub]Gratuities are appreciated.[/sub] \*\*
I want in too!
I was there when the Mr. Cranky forum was flooded with teenage trools on Christmas Break back in '97. They had to switch to a password site to keep them out.
---
### Author:  [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2001, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/54 "2001-09-10T03:14:20Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by ExTank \*
> \*\*And when we want to _really_ get nasty:
>
> **Anthracite**
>
> Fighting ignorance, one bullet at a time. BYOG.\*\*
Ah, gee. Iām not _that_ nasty, regardless of what my favorite troll is spreading about me with his latest whispering campaign.
Oh wait, who I am trying to kid here. Let the Year of the Skulls begin! š
---
### Author:  [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2001, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/55 "2001-09-10T04:38:51Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Anthracite \*
> \*\*Oh wait, who I am trying to kid here. Let the Year of the Skulls begin! š \*\*
[hijack]Whee-heee! Another Glen Cook fan! I just got him to sign all my hard copy Glittering Stones books at WorldCon.š [/hijack]
Iāve gotten numerous hoaxes and chain-type e-mails; lately Iāve had some luck in mailing snopes or liemails links to EVERYONE on the āFROM:ā, āTo:ā and āCC:ā lines. I donāt know if the originator is still sending stuff out, but at least theyāre not sending them to ME.
Can you guys use a Baking Squad? I make killer chocolate chip and m&m cookies.
---
### Author:  [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2001, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/56 "2001-09-10T11:03:35Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Morgyn \*
> \*\*
>
> > [@](#):
> >
> > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \*
> > \*\*Oh wait, who I am trying to kid here. Let the Year of the Skulls begin! š \*\*
>
> [hijack]Whee-heee! Another Glen Cook fan! I just got him to sign all my hard copy Glittering Stones books at WorldCon.š [/hijack]\*\*
Yup, you got it. I loved all the books except āSoldiers Liveā, whichā¦well, was pretty damn strange and poor, IMO.
And itās why there is an Administrator named **Soulcatcher** on my UnaBoard.
---
### Author:  [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)
#### Post date: [September 10, 2001, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/57 "2001-09-10T21:06:32Z")
Ahhā¦The Black Company! Great, if occasionally uneven series. When I hit at least a hundred recruits, I shall shamelessly plagarise from Mr. Cook.
And I rather thought that Mr. Cook tried to cram a bit too much into _Soldiers Live,_ but I was glad to see Croaker back behind the quill as Annalist. Neither Ladyās, Sleepyās or Murgenās style was quite to my liking.
But Iām glad to know that Iām among fellow Brothers (or in this case, Sisters).
**Morgyn:** fighting ignorance the easy way is still a daunting task (so many morons, so few bullets), and chocolate chip cookies (with M&Ms no less; _:drool:_)keep the troops happy and energetic.
Just hold off on the green ones until we have male/female parity. š
---
### Author:  [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)
#### Post date: [December 3, 2001, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115/58 "2001-12-03T05:05:18Z")
Damn, I got invited to join a hit squad, and I missed it? I suggest we use incendiary rounds, that way we can remove the heads and cauterize them, _simultaneously_, stopping the regeneration in its tracks. š
[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-see-crazy-people-or-the-phaedra/79115.md?page=2)